Living through the transitional phases of education over the decades, many of us have experienced the monumental changes that have occurred. None more so, than how we present the written word. The hilarity expressed by children and grandchildren when hearing the beginning of my school life involved writing on a small, handheld slate (blackboard) with various coloured chalks, progressed to learning to handwrite in a copybook, and finding myself now punching keys to create words that materialize on a computer monitor, is quite sobering.
We have come such a long way in such a relatively short space of time, alas, to the detriment of a major factor in human growth, resilience. Remembering those early years of spontaneous play, exploration, inquisitiveness and all out daring, rekindles warm memories. They embody times where we evolved through education, knowledge handed down from parents, grandparents, relatives and community, and of responsibility for your actions demanded from all those previously mentioned, as well as the law. We readily engaged with each other through school, play, sport and cultural activities, and through that, developed bonds and gained experience. We were encouraged to “have a go”, and if we failed, we were encouraged to try again.
Often the bar felt like it was set quite high, but grit, tenacity and determination afforded us the opportunity to reach a standard. If not, we at least gained improvement. Goals were set, hard work and effort resulted in rewards that weren’t always viewed or praised by others to pique our egos, but most importantly we gained that inner feeling of self-satisfaction. We had set out to achieve something, and we did it. We developed and gained resilience.
One of the saddest aspects of being involved in the coaching business, I find, is encountering clients, particularly those of a relatively young age. who suffer from a lack of resilience. In a world that now attempts to shield us from hurt and raises an expectation of having everything available at our fingertips the instant we desire it, we have drowned an extremely important human element. Usually, it is the breakdown of that first serious relationship that triggers a tornado of emotions, sending those impacted into a complete spiral. It is here that resilience plays such an important role in allowing ourselves to find balance, to find our feet, and to gradually ascend from the depths to find new light ahead. Having developed skills from a young age, that were learned through loss, rejection, lack of opportunity due to location, finances or transport etc, engenders the ability to handle these same impacts at later stages of our lives. If we’ve never been allowed to fall down, how will we know how to stand up when it really matters?